Having to throw away a perfectly good printer - is there a way out?

Jolanta_Nowak

I can find no sign on the Lexmark website of any driver downloads available now or in future for my Z11 printer to render it compatible with the Vista OS running on my newly bought pc.

To me this is a prime example of deliberate, built-in obsolescence. The printer is only 7 years old, works perfectly and does the simple job I ask of it - printing off my pc screen - very well. Lexmark obviously can't give a damn.

Is there any way I can get round this, does anyone know?

totalsolutions

Nope The Vista way onwards and upwards
Vista is a completely rewritten OS and does not need to understand old print driver routines. Buy a new one (B/W laser)

superscaper

You may be able to use Vista's native drivers.

amcluesent

>The printer is only 7 years old<

Good going. It was designed to pack-in 45 minutes after the warranty expired.

Baalinor

superscaper wrote: »

You may be able to use Vista's native drivers.

Yes. When I go to Control Panel/Printers on my copy of Vista Ultimate and select Add Printer and click on Lexmark, it gives me Lexmark Z11 Color Jetprinter as an option, so it would appear to have a built in driver for it.

b33r

Doesn't answer your question I know but you can get one of the old range HP all in ones for not much more than 20 quid which i imagine is less than a set of cartridges for your lexmark.

From a quick google you can definatly use that printer with ubuntu so you could consider dual booting your machine and then booting to ubuntu whenever you want to print.

withabix

b33r wrote: »

so you could consider dual booting your machine and then booting to ubuntu whenever you want to print.

Life's too short!

It's a printer that costs less than the ink cartridges that go in it, so why bother???

When I used Lexmarks (briefly a few years ago until I saw sense!), I used to buy a new printer every time the cartridges ran out and QXLd/eBayed the printer for what I paid for it (if not more) every time!

superscaper

Baalinor wrote: »

Yes. When I go to Control Panel/Printers on my copy of Vista Ultimate and select Add Printer and click on Lexmark, it gives me Lexmark Z11 Color Jetprinter as an option, so it would appear to have a built in driver for it.

That'll be why Lexmark haven't bothered to write a driver for it then as MS did the work for them.

sco0ter

Jolanta_Nowak wrote: »

To me this is a prime example of deliberate, built-in obsolescence. The printer is only 7 years old, works perfectly and does the simple job I ask of it - printing off my pc screen - very well. Lexmark obviously can't give a damn.

OH MY GOD.... Someone who actually got it right and doesnt blame VISTA but the manufacturer for his problems..

I hope the in built driver works for you...

superscaper

sco0ter wrote: »

OH MY GOD.... Someone who actually got it right and doesnt blame VISTA but the manufacturer for his problems..

I hope the in built driver works for you...

I admit that was something I noticed the OP do as well. Which must mean we see people blaming MS far too often. So good on the OP for thinking sensibly and logically. Microsoft does have its faults but they can't be blamed for everything.

unrich

If you bought a brand new Asus EEE you could use it with Linux. OR install Linux on an old PC and use it for as long as its good.

Sorry its not USB so only PCs with a parallel port will work with it. My Vaio has no parallel port and it runs XP.

Looks like you need to freecycle.